Jonathan Pokluda delivers ‘all in’ message during first Convocation of the school year

From the Vines Center stage at Wednesday’s Convocation, pastor Jonathan Pokluda sought to set the tone for the new school year at Liberty University, which officially began on Monday, by reminding students that living “all in” with Jesus is the only way to live fully.

Convocation — featuring prominent pastors, authors, business and social leaders, and musicians — is held every Wednesday and Friday at 10:30 a.m. Most Convocations are streamed live on Liberty’s YouTube channel, main Facebook page and the Office of Spiritual Development Facebook page. (View the full schedule and past Convocations.)

Pokluda is the lead pastor of Harris Creek Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, and an accomplished author and podcaster. He previously spoke in Convocation in 2020 and 2022.

During the opening, Chancellor Jonathan Falwell welcomed the student body to the first Convocation, recognized President Dondi E. Costin on his 60th birthday, and previewed the first Campus Community, to be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday night. This semester’s Campus Community series, “Witness,” will promote the idea that Christians are what he called “the modern-day catalysts for the move of God and the work of God in our world.”

“We’ll be recognizing what God has called us all to do and recognizing that the God of the book of Acts is still the God of 2024, that the amazing things He did then, He is still doing now,” Falwell said.

When Pokluda took the stage, he said he felt thankful for another opportunity to return to Liberty, a place he said “feels like home,” and he urged students to not take it for granted. Reflecting on his upbringing and life as a young adult, Pokluda said he took many things for granted and lived for his own desires and benefit, including consuming drugs and alcohol, partying in college, and halfheartedly attending church.

“I was really confused, and I was trying to figure out who God is,” he said. “I thought, ‘Life is short, how do I experience all of life that I possibly can?’ (Today) I’ve got scars, I’ve got regrets, and if I had a redo, I would do it very differently.”

Citing the story of the “young, rich ruler” in Luke 18, Pokluda expounded the idea that living life idolizing being young, rich, and powerful is empty and a waste of what God can offer. Instead, Christians ought to live “all in” for God, he said, outlining three barriers to doing that: thinking too much of yourself, thinking too much of the world, and not thinking enough of the Kingdom of God.

“Jesus is asking you for everything; He doesn’t do well in the backseat,” Pokluda said. “When you give Him an hour and half on Sunday, or 15 minutes in the morning, it’s not what He’s asking you for. He’s asking you for your screen time, your dating life, your friendships, your family, your health. … All of those things, Jesus is sovereign over (them), and they’re His whether you give them to Him or not. He wants all of it, and not because He’s greedy, but because He loves you, and He knows that your very best life is one that’s lived for Him, completely for Him.”

Speaking to a crowd of college students who have just begun a new year of classes, he closed his message by imploring them to find and remove whatever obstacles may stop them from living fully for God. For some, he said, they may be making that decision for the first time.

“I know you think, ‘One day I’m going to get right with Jesus. Let me just live this life right now and get through college.’ True happiness, true peace, (and) true joy is only found in Jesus Christ,” he said. “I want you to think about what you’re holding onto right now. As you go into this new school year, what are you holding onto? What’s that thing you want to keep and not (give up)? I want you to give it to God. You can go into this school year knowing, if anything happens to you, that you’re going to wake up in glory with God in paradise because of the work of His son, Jesus. All it takes is for you to surrender.”